Vehicular camera assembly process

Abstract

A vehicular camera includes a lens barrel accommodating a lens, a lens holder having a passageway therethrough, and an imager printed circuit board (imager PCB) having an imager. The imager PCB is attached at the lens holder. An attaching portion of the lens barrel is positioned at least partially in the passageway of the lens holder with a gap between the attaching portion and the lens holder that at least partially circumscribes the attaching portion. With the attaching portion positioned at least partially in the passageway, a filler material is disposed at least partially within the gap. With the lens aligned relative to the imager, the filler material is heated via non-contact brazing to melt and flow into the gap. The melted filler material hardens upon cooling to secure the lens barrel relative to the lens holder and the imager PCB.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A vehicular camera configured to be disposed at a vehicle, the vehicular camera comprising:
 a lens barrel accommodating a lens; 
 a lens holder having a passageway therethrough; 
 an imager printed circuit board (imager PCB), wherein the imager PCB comprises a first side and a second side opposite the first side and separated from the first side by a thickness of the imager PCB, and wherein an imager is disposed at the first side of the imager PCB, and wherein the imager PCB is attached at the lens holder; 
 wherein the imager comprises an imaging array having at least one million photosensor elements or pixels arranged in rows and columns; 
 wherein an attaching portion of the lens barrel is positioned at least partially in the passageway of the lens holder with a gap between a longitudinally extending side wall of the attaching portion and a longitudinally extending side wall of the lens holder that at least partially circumscribes the attaching portion of the lens barrel; 
 wherein the longitudinally extending side wall of the attaching portion of the lens barrel extends parallel to a longitudinal axis of the lens barrel, and wherein the longitudinally extending side wall of the lens holder extends parallel to a longitudinal axis of the passageway; 
 wherein, with the attaching portion positioned at least partially in the passageway, a filler material is disposed at least partially within the gap and at least partially at the longitudinally extending side wall of the attaching portion and at least partially at the longitudinally extending side wall of the lens holder; 
 wherein the filler material has a melting point that is lower than respective melting points of the lens holder and of the lens barrel; 
 wherein, with the filler material disposed at least partially within the gap, the attaching portion is movable within the passageway while the lens barrel is adjusted relative to the imager to align the lens relative to the imager; and 
 wherein, with the lens aligned relative to the imager, the filler material is heated via non-contact brazing to melt and flow into the gap and at least partially along the longitudinally extending side wall of the attaching portion and at least partially along the longitudinally extending side wall of the lens holder, and wherein the melted filler material hardens upon cooling to secure the lens barrel relative to the lens holder and the imager PCB. 
 
     
     
       2. The vehicular camera of  claim 1 , wherein the non-contact brazing utilizes heating of the filler material via a laser. 
     
     
       3. The vehicular camera of  claim 1 , wherein the non-contact brazing utilizes induction heating of the filler material. 
     
     
       4. The vehicular camera of  claim 1 , wherein the attaching portion of the lens barrel comprises a plastic injection molded element. 
     
     
       5. The vehicular camera of  claim 1 , wherein the attaching portion of the lens barrel comprises a metal element. 
     
     
       6. The vehicular camera of  claim 1 , wherein the lens holder comprises a plastic injection molded element. 
     
     
       7. The vehicular camera of  claim 1 , wherein the lens holder comprises a metal element. 
     
     
       8. The vehicular camera of  claim 1 , comprising an electrical connector portion configured to electrically connect to a wire harness of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular camera. 
     
     
       9. The vehicular camera of  claim 1 , wherein the filler material comprises a thermoplastic material. 
     
     
       10. The vehicular camera of  claim 1 , wherein, with the hardened filler material securing the lens barrel relative to the lens holder, a sealant material is disposed to seal the gap between the attaching portion and the lens holder. 
     
     
       11. The vehicular camera of  claim 10 , wherein the sealant material comprises an epoxy. 
     
     
       12. The vehicular camera of  claim 10 , wherein the sealant material is disposed over the hardened filler material and within a channel bounded by a first rib at the attaching portion of the lens barrel and a second rib at the lens holder. 
     
     
       13. A vehicular camera configured to be disposed at a vehicle, the vehicular camera comprising:
 a lens barrel accommodating a lens; 
 a lens holder having a passageway therethrough; 
 an imager printed circuit board (imager PCB), wherein the imager PCB comprises a first side and a second side opposite the first side and separated from the first side by a thickness of the imager PCB, and wherein an imager is disposed at the first side of the imager PCB, and wherein the imager PCB is attached at the lens holder; 
 wherein the imager comprises an imaging array having at least one million photosensor elements or pixels arranged in rows and columns; 
 an electrical connector portion configured to electrically connect to a wire harness of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular camera; 
 wherein an attaching portion of the lens barrel is positioned at least partially in the passageway of the lens holder with a gap between a longitudinally extending side wall of the attaching portion and a longitudinally extending side wall of the lens holder that at least partially circumscribes the attaching portion of the lens barrel; 
 wherein the longitudinally extending side wall of the attaching portion of the lens barrel extends parallel to a longitudinal axis of the lens barrel, and wherein the longitudinally extending side wall of the lens holder extends parallel to a longitudinal axis of the passageway; 
 wherein, with the attaching portion positioned at least partially in the passageway, a filler material is disposed at least partially within the gap and at least partially at the longitudinally extending side wall of the attaching portion and at least partially at the longitudinally extending side wall of the lens holder; 
 wherein the filler material has a melting point that is lower than respective melting points of the lens holder and of the lens barrel; 
 wherein, with the filler material disposed at least partially within the gap, the attaching portion is movable within the passageway while the lens barrel is adjusted relative to the imager to align the lens relative to the imager; 
 wherein, with the lens aligned relative to the imager, the filler material is heated via non-contact induction brazing to melt and flow into the gap and at least partially along the longitudinally extending side wall of the attaching portion and at least partially along the longitudinally extending side wall of the lens holder, and wherein the melted filler material hardens upon cooling to secure the lens barrel relative to the lens holder and the imager PCB; and 
 wherein, with the hardened filler material securing the lens barrel relative to the lens holder, a sealant material is disposed to seal the gap between the attaching portion and the lens holder. 
 
     
     
       14. The vehicular camera of  claim 13 , wherein the attaching portion of the lens barrel comprises a plastic injection molded element. 
     
     
       15. The vehicular camera of  claim 13 , wherein the attaching portion of the lens barrel comprises a metal element. 
     
     
       16. The vehicular camera of  claim 13 , wherein the lens holder comprises a plastic injection molded element. 
     
     
       17. The vehicular camera of  claim 13 , wherein the lens holder comprises a metal element. 
     
     
       18. The vehicular camera of  claim 13 , wherein the filler material comprises a thermoplastic material. 
     
     
       19. The vehicular camera of  claim 13 , wherein the sealant material comprises an epoxy. 
     
     
       20. The vehicular camera of  claim 13 , wherein the sealant material is disposed over the hardened filler material and within a channel bounded by a first rib at the attaching portion of the lens barrel and a second rib at the lens holder. 
     
     
       21. A vehicular camera configured to be disposed at a vehicle, the vehicular camera comprising:
 a lens barrel accommodating a lens; 
 a lens holder having a passageway therethrough; 
 an imager printed circuit board (imager PCB), wherein the imager PCB comprises a first side and a second side opposite the first side and separated from the first side by a thickness of the imager PCB, and wherein an imager is disposed at the first side of the imager PCB, and wherein the imager PCB is attached at the lens holder; 
 wherein the imager comprises an imaging array having at least one million photosensor elements or pixels arranged in rows and columns; 
 an electrical connector portion configured to electrically connect to a wire harness of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular camera; 
 wherein an attaching portion of the lens barrel is positioned at least partially in the passageway of the lens holder with a gap between a longitudinally extending side wall of the attaching portion and a longitudinally extending side wall of the lens holder that at least partially circumscribes the attaching portion of the lens barrel; 
 wherein the longitudinally extending side wall of the attaching portion of the lens barrel extends parallel to a longitudinal axis of the lens barrel, and wherein the longitudinally extending side wall of the lens holder extends parallel to a longitudinal axis of the passageway; 
 wherein, with the attaching portion positioned at least partially in the passageway, a filler material is disposed at least partially within the gap and at least partially at the longitudinally extending side wall of the attaching portion and at least partially at the longitudinally extending side wall of the lens holder; 
 wherein the filler material has a melting point that is lower than respective melting points of the lens holder and of the lens barrel; 
 wherein, with the filler material disposed at least partially within the gap, the attaching portion is movable within the passageway while the lens barrel is adjusted relative to the imager to align the lens relative to the imager; 
 wherein, with the lens aligned relative to the imager, the filler material is heated via non-contact laser brazing to melt and flow into the gap and at least partially along the longitudinally extending side wall of the attaching portion and at least partially along the longitudinally extending side wall of the lens holder, and wherein the melted filler material hardens upon cooling to secure the lens barrel relative to the lens holder and the imager PCB; and 
 wherein, with the hardened filler material securing the lens barrel relative to the lens holder, a sealant material is disposed to seal the gap between the attaching portion and the lens holder. 
 
     
     
       22. The vehicular camera of  claim 21 , wherein the attaching portion of the lens barrel comprises a plastic injection molded element. 
     
     
       23. The vehicular camera of  claim 21 , wherein the attaching portion of the lens barrel comprises a metal element. 
     
     
       24. The vehicular camera of  claim 21 , wherein the lens holder comprises a plastic injection molded element. 
     
     
       25. The vehicular camera of  claim 21 , wherein the lens holder comprises a metal element. 
     
     
       26. The vehicular camera of  claim 21 , wherein the filler material comprises a thermoplastic material. 
     
     
       27. The vehicular camera of  claim 21 , wherein the sealant material comprises an epoxy. 
     
     
       28. The vehicular camera of  claim 21 , wherein the sealant material is disposed over the hardened filler material and within a channel bounded by a first rib at the attaching portion of the lens barrel and a second rib at the lens holder.